The AMC Star Southfield is hosting Hollywood’s red carpet premiere of “Home Run Showdown” and everyone is invited. Among the celebrities expected to be there are the film’s director and select cast members including Emma-Lee Hess.

“I’m really, really excited. It’s my first red carpet premiere,” said Hess, 14, of Grass Lake, Mich., who plays the role of Fassi.

“Home Run Showdown” is a family comedy about the new kid on the block, 12-year-old Lorenzo “Lori” (Kyle Kirk) whose life has gone from bad to worse. His mother died and his father is in prison. When attempts to make the local baseball league fail, Lori joins forces with two other misfits – Fassi and the larger than life Tanker (Brandon Balog) -- in order to make an unusual dream come true: being a part of the Big League’s power-hitting tournament, the Home Run Showdown, and having his dad witness it on TV.

Most of the film was shot at locations in Michigan including the ballpark in Taylor and a middle school in Milford which served as a hospital.

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“Oh, my goodness, we had so much fun,” said Emma’s mom Mary-Jo who took a leave of absence as a middle school English teacher to support Emma’s first opportunity in a feature film. Since their daughter was a little girl, Mary-Jo and her husband Sam knew that Emma would become an entertainer. “When she was 5 or 6 years old she asked us if she could sing for the ministry of music at our church. I was amazed that she was willing to get up in front of hundreds of people,” said Mary-Jo. Tonight’s red carpet premiere affirms what Mary-Jo and Sam knew: Emma’s got talent.

Out of the hundreds of kids who auditioned for the role of Fassi, it was the tall, slim girl with long brown hair, hazel eyes and a feisty attitude who hit a home run with the film’s director Oz Scott.

“He directed ‘Cheetah Girls,’” Emma said as if everyone knows it was the most awesome movie of 2003 and voted No. 1 movie of all time by Disney viewers. “He was really nice and great to work with. He said just have fun and be real on the set. Don’t try too hard, just let things flow.”

And throw -- which Emma did for her role as the tomboy baseball player, thanks to a quick lesson courtesy of Chelsea High School’s varsity baseball coach Adam Taylor. “I knew how to throw a baseball – I watched my brother’s team play – but I did not know how to throw it right,” Emma said. “He showed me how to hold the ball and the stance for batting and playing shortstop and first base.”

Emma said she watched the trailer and as many film clips as she could get her hands on but she’ll be in the same stands as audience members on opening night.

“I’m kind of jittery about it because my whole family is going to be there and everyone is going to be watching it for the first time. I’m hoping (they) like it. I know all the people in it personally and I’m very proud of their performances,” Emma said, before we changed the subject to fashion and what she’s planning to wear to her first red carpet engagement. “I looked everywhere to find the perfect dress. It’s black and it has fringes all over it. I’m real tall now so I don’t know if I’ll wear heels. I don’t want to hover so I’ll probably wear flats.”

Tickets for tonight’s event are available for public purchase at http://www.amctheatres.com/movies or the theater’s box office. The red carpet arrivals are at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. “Home Run Showdown” opens Friday at the AMC Star Southfield located at 25333 W. 12 Mile Road, Southfield. The movie continues through the week.

About the Author

Gina Joseph is a multimedia journalist and columnist for The Macomb Daily. Reach the author at gina.joseph@macombdaily.com Follow @ginaljoseph on Twitter or visit her beat blog macomblife.blogspot.com. Reach the author at gina.joseph@macombdaily.com
or follow Gina on Twitter: @ginaljoseph.